Thank you from my heart for giving me the chance to include this information for extra credit in my Samhain Essay. I feel better now, knowing I've told it. Have a blessed night Lady Majyk, and thank you again. Blessed Be, and Merry Part
 
   ~KnyghtSkye
 
 
My personal preperation for the Samhain ritual was two-fold. An hour before Ritual, I made sure to take a Ritual Bath and smudge myself completely. Before dressing, and after a short meditation, I used a small amount of Jasmine oil on my hands and neck to put myself into an altered state of mind. The scent of jasmine has always been a favorite of mine and I only use it when engaging in a Magickal working. Before the Ritual began, Shadow and I made sure the smudge the room and eachother as best we could with our meager Sage supply. Once the Meditation began, both Shadow and I drifted into our own little worlds following the words of the High Priestess. During the Meditation, I had a very strange occurance... As it began, I felt a soft flutter of energy come over me, as if something was closing me off from the outside world. In a way, I was even closed off from the magick within the Circle. I found my eyelids fluttering and my senses being carried off to another place.
 
 
  It was a vision in my Third Eye, showing me the same sights as described in the Ritual itself. I stood on a knoll surrounded by trees and watched a ghostly procession parade it's way past in the distance. It stretched for what seemed like miles in the darkness. Above, the sky was slightly clouded and there was no moon. There was no light in the forest save for the spirits walking a snaking trail through the trees; each glowed with their own ethereal brilliance. I left my shelter within the trees and followed them. My footsteps were silent even on the many dying leaves and twigs. The spirits ignored me or simply didn't notice me and continued on their way and I followed alongside them, staying in the trees to avoid bringing attention to myself. Suddenly, I found myself spilled out into a clearing where I witnessed the ghostly parade disappearing into the Summerland through the invisible gateway. As described, I found myself immediately in the presence of two beings that looked to me, in many ways, like the Vampires of Legend: Pale and sallow, eyes sunk back in their heads, and regal, gothic clothing covering their bodies. The first was Male. He possessed a strong Lordly presence and stood before me, his hands clasped before him in a sense of excitement or fiened interest. He watched me with the intelligent, ageless eyes of a God, and I felt all but powerless in his presence. The other was a woman. Beautiful crimson hair cascaded down her back and over her chest. She wore an amazing gown of black and red, and at the time it reminded me of spiderwebs stitched together. Her eyes were beautiful and bright; an emerald green and more intense than the harshest kiss of sunlight. She smiled at me with curiousity, as if intrigued that I could see them. The man spoke first. He told me they had been watching me for some time... Said, I knew who they were, so I need not ask. His voice was kind and soft, like silk. The woman beside him spoke next, offering me a visit to the Summerland where I could see the family that had passed before me. It was an honor I could not ignore, and before I could reply, I found myelf stepping through into a new world. All around me, men and women of all ages sat laughing and shaking hands, embracing and sharing smiles. I cold not help but smile as well for all the joy that was in the air. All of a sudden, it seemed the crowd parted, if only for me, and a woman stepped out...
 
  It was my Grandmother. She had only passed away less than a year ago. She was almost 80, but had spent much of her last few years in bed. Her death was, in some ways, a blessing to my Family for she had suffered so. To see her standing before me, radiant and smiling, took my breath away for a brief space in time. I felt the Lord and Lady of the Underworld at my side, and heard one of them say to me that I could sit and talk for a time with my loved ones, and they would return to show me back to my own world. My vision dissapated with me, sitting across from my grandmother, each of us holding a beverage, and laughing together over the past, and present.
 
  It was an incredibly moving experience and I remember to this day my feelings as I stood within that world. I felt, in many ways, a sense of Belonging. I recognized this place... This entrance into Summerland. I had been here many times before, and I felt a sense of joy at finally returning. I knew I would not stay, and that also left with me both a sense of joy and disappointment. Watching as the spirits traveled from one Realm to the next, I felt as if I had been privy to a vital piece of my Life's puzzle. I felt as if I had *Led* those spirits to that clearing where the gateway waited, and that the Lord and Lady stood waiting for me all along. My spirit felt a sense of pride that I had accomplished the task given to me. In the Summerland, I felt warmth and joyful abandon. It was a place I had passed through and lived many lifetimes within, and I knew well it's gardens, fountains, and little hide-aways. As the vision disappated and I returned to the Ritual as it happened on my computer screen, my body quivered as if my spirit were flowing back. I realized very little time had passed since I had entered my trance, but so much had occured while I was within it. I quickly got caught up with the Ritual again, but with it, I felt as if my spirit had aged somehow. I felt as if a sense of duty had replaced uncertainy, and a sense of confidence had replaced fear. Since that night, I have felt truly at ease. I gave my fears and unwanted vices to the Dark Goddess for her to carry away into the Underworld, and I gave thanks to the God for his strength and sacrifice. Instead of feeling as if I were below them, I felt as if I were *Equal* to them. I felt as if, in a very deep and mysterious way, I was each the Dark Goddess and the God, and they were me. Never in my life have I experienced a sense of unity as I did that night.